Smoking apparatus: flat smoking pipe

ABSTRACT

The present invention describes the flat smoking pipe with advanced smoking effect. The invented smoking pipe offers the means for making a full draw of the low temperature smoke into the lungs using minimal suction effort.

The present invention incorporates methods that were invented in U.S. Pat. No 8,496,048 B2 and claims priority under U.S. Provisional Patent No. 61/997,198.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for and the method of smoking tobacco and other inhalation materials.

2. Description of the Related Art

The difficulty of creating the balance between the natural ability of human lungs to create the pressure drop and desired dosage of smoke intake while inhaling has always been the biggest problem of smoking. The main factor that is causing just said problem is the temperature of the smoke. From the point of view of Physics, the peculiarity of the smoking process is evident: the same suction effort of smoker that provides a flux of ambient air used for burning the certain amount of smoke-producing material is continuing to carry the produced hot smoke directly into the person's lungs. Delivery of hot gases into the lungs does not only cause a very unpleasant burning sensation and sometimes coughing, but also, according to the majority of modern medical studies, is the main cause of destructive effect that smoking imposes to the human's mouth and lungs. Therefore, the problem of decreasing of the temperature of the hot smoke right at the moment of smoking is the very important goal and the technical challenge.

The history of smoking pipes, mouthpieces, and other smoking devices is as old as the modern human history itself. There is tremendous variety of smoking devices exists across the world including those that were created specifically with the purpose of solving the problem of reducing the temperature of the smoking fumes. It is fair to say that each generation of engineers on the modern era at each new phase of progress has contributed its there own solutions for the above stated problem. Present invention is one more step in this direction.

Smokers say: “Smoking brings a joy”, but Surgeon General warns: “Traditional smoking can kill”. Let smokers be smart and start smoking in Hi-tech fashion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of present invention to teach the means of using Vortical Boiling Phenomenon of heat exchange at the convective cooling for cooling of smoke inside the smoking pipe up to full recuperation with the temperature of the human body before this smoke has reached the person's lungs. The invented smoking pipe offers the means for making a full draw of the desired dosage of smoke into the lungs using minimal suction effort.

Indeed, when trying to reach the maximum smoking effect a person needs to inhale as much smoke as possible. The only obstacle is the limited flow of air intentionally restricted by any existing smoking device. Examples: Restricted airways in regular pipe and mouthpiece; multiple compartments and water layer in Hookah; multiple compartments and suction steps in Bong, etc. All these airflow limiting designs exist only for one single reason—preventing access of hot smoke into the human lungs.

The present invention depicts the smoking apparatus which eliminates the need for restrictive airflow by cooling the hot smoke to the human body temperature thus allowing bigger draw of smoke into the lungs and holding it in for longer period of time, therefore increasing the smoking effect.

The full recuperation of smoke's temperature to the human body temperature level is achieved with implementation of the Vortical Boiling regime of flow used in U.S. Pat. No. 8,496,048 B2. The Vortical Boiling regime of flow of smoke inside of the smoking pipe is generated by the dense regular triangular lattice of the segmental dimples that forms the streamlined surfaces of the pipe.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Advantages and features of the present invention are better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 shows the photo of the real model of the embodied smoking pipe.

FIG. 2 shows the composition of the invented smoking pipe that includes top, bottom and sliding cover parts.

FIG. 3 shows the schematics of the top part of the invented smoking pipe.

FIG. 4 shows the schematics of the bottom part of the invented smoking pipe.

FIG. 5 shows the schematics of the dense triangular lattice of the segmental dimples.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a well-developed Vortical Boiling regime of flow over a surface that is modified with the dense triangular lattice of the segmental dimples.

FIG. 7 shows the schematics of the sliding cover of the invented smoking pipe.

FIG. 8 shows the positions of the sliding cover.

FIG. 9 shows the schematics of loading of the smoked substance.

FIG. 10 shows methods of traditional smoking through the invented flat smoking pipe.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The common view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 represents the preferred embodiment as a rectangular aluminum body comprising three parts: the top [001], the bottom [002] and the sliding cover [003] that, being attached to each other, will form the body that is shown in FIG. 1 and will be held in such configuration by the system of magnets [004] that are placed in bulk of part [001] and part [002]. The method of attachment of said two parts of the smoking pipe is not principal as long as it can serve the natural need to disassemble smoking pipe for the occasional cleaning of its internal surfaces. Screws, build-in clasps, complementary magnets, or other means can be used to keep the two parts of smoking pipe together. In the preferred embodiment the set of holes [005] is drilled for the said magnets.

FIG. 3 shows the drawings of the top part [001] of the smoking pipe in details. As one can see, this part is made of rectangular well polished aluminum plate (although brass, bronze, copper, silver, gold, platinum and their alloys with high heat and thermal conductivity can be used). The specific feature of the top part is the loading hole [006] which is located close to its edge and has diameter that is increasing in at least two steps in the direction of the face side of the top part [001]. This tobacco loading hole [006] also serves as a holder of the metallic screen [010] that holds the tobacco load used when smoking (see details in FIG. 9).

On the opposite side of the top part [001] there is a rectangular “mouthpiece” ditch [007], which begins on the side surface of top part [001], is laying on the back surface of said top part, penetrates into the top part's body at some distance and is ending with a flat oval ditch [008], which is a twice longer and three times wider than wide of said “mouthpiece” ditch [007], and which has the depth that is twice bigger than the depth of ditch [007].

The surface of the back side of the top part [001] is covered with the dense regular triangular lattice of the segmental dimples [009] leaving untouched only the flat border all over external perimeter of said back side of top part [001] , just as it is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

FIG. 4 shows the bottom part [002] of the smoking pipe. This part is made of exactly the same plate as the top part, and is the exact replica of the top part with the following exclusions:

-   -   The bottom part has no loading hole [006];     -   The bottom part has no flat ditches [007] and [008].     -   The most important difference is that the dense regular         triangular lattice of the segmental dimples [009] covers not a         flat back side of the bottom part, but is placed on the bottom         surface of one flat rectangular notch [011], which is milled all         over the back side of the bottom part [002] along entire         perimeter of said bottom part [002], leaving only some flat         border [012]. Said border contains ditches [005] for attachment         of magnets [004] and all those is exact replica of the         corresponding ditches [005] and magnets [004] in the top part         [001] of the invented apparatus.         All dimensions should be kept as such that the bottom side of         top part [001], being attached to the bottom side of the bottom         part [002], at coincidence of countur of their external         perimeters form the whole body of the invented smoking pipe, as         it is shown in FIG. 1, and each dimple on the top part [001]         should have its replica on the bottom surface of the flat         rectangular notch [011] positioned exactly above it.

FIG. 5 illustrates the method of creation of the dense regular triangular lattice of the segmental dimples, which is capable to generate and maintain the regime of the Vortical Boiling Flow of the smoke. According to the shown schematics, each dimple is a segment of some imaginary sphere of radii R=5/64″ and has its own radii r=3/64″ and depth h=1/64″. All such dimples are put in a dense triangular lattice with parameter of lattice a=6/64″. At the proper rate of flow of the streamlined fluid over such lattice it generates a coherent pattern of vortical jets between neighboring dimples, as it is shown in FIG. 6. This flow provides the ultimately low pressure drop and ultimately high index of heat exchange between the fluid and walls of the channel. As a result of said features the present invention provides full recuperation of the smoke up to the normal temperature of the smoker's body. Said recuperation is achieved due to usage of materials for the smoking pipe that have high thermal conductivity and high heat capacity (aluminum, copper, silver, etc.). During the smoking and pauses between two consecutive smoking events, the heat accumulated by the smoking pipe is quickly delivered to the external surface of said pipe due to high thermal conductivity of the used materials, so that the pipe can be easily cooled by the natural convection with the ambient environment.

FIG. 7 shows the sliding cover [003] that is made out of stainless steel plate, which is reliably held on the top surface of the top part [001] due to magnets [004] that are fixed in the holes [005] onside the bulk of said top part [001]. Said cover can easily slide all over surface of said top part [001], so that the stylish perforation in this cover can be placed either above loading hole [006] (position B in FIG. 8), or outside of it (position A in FIG. 8). This feature of the present invention allows regulation of the flux of the ambient air when smoking.

FIG. 8 shows the positions of sliding cover in regards to smoked tobacco in the pipe.

FIG. 9 shows the method of loading of the invented smoking pipe with the smoking material [115]. The generally available little metal screen [010] is the part of this process. The screen is pushed into the loading hole [006] and forms the bottom of the tobacco holding chamber, because the smoking material [115] can be placed on top of said screen.

FIG. 10 shows the method of loading of the invented smoking pipe with tobacco, cigar, or cigarette in the traditional way. To load tobacco in the traditional way there should be used a simple attachable tobacco chamber [016] that can be screwed into the loading hole [006] of the presented embodiment of the flat smoking pipe, just as it is illustrated in FIG. 10, case A. For smoking of cigar or cigarette, another simple attachable holder [018] should be used, just as it is illustrated in FIG. 10, case B. In both cases the simple attachable mouthpiece [017] can be used: it can be simply put in the mouthpiece hole [013] of the presented embodiment of the flat smoking pipe.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the invention are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to precise forms disclosed and, obviously, many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments are chosen and described in order to best explain principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and its various embodiments with various modifications best fit to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that a scope of the invention be defined broadly by the Drawings and Specification appended hereto and to their equivalents. Therefore, the scope of the invention is in no way to be limited only by the following exemplary claims nor by any possible, adverse inference under the rulings of Warner-Jenkins Company, v. Hilton Davis Chemical, 520 US 17 (1997) or Festo Corp. V. Shoketsu Kinzoku Kogyo Kabushiki Co., 535 U.S. 722 (2002), or other similar case of law or subsequent precedent should not be made if such claims are amended subsequent to this Utility Patent Application. 

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:
 1. A flat smoking pipe that provides full recuperation of the temperature of smoke to the normal human body temperature comprising: two flat parts that being attached one onto another form a flat smocking pipe with tobacco loading chamber, mouthpiece and a flat smoke transportation channel between them; at least one part of the channel that is transporting smoke from the inlet hole to the outlet mouthpiece hole is made of material with high thermal conductivity and high heat capacity; at least one side of the said part of channel is containing the dense regular triangular lattice of the segmental dimples.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the dense triangular lattice of segmental dimples on the one surface of the smoke transportation channel has its replica located directly on the opposing surface of said smoke transporting channel, so that each dimple is having its inverted copy exactly opposing it.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the cover with a localized perforation in it can slide over the chamber with tobacco covering said chamber by said perforation partially or entirely and providing regulation of flux of the ambient air into said chamber during smoking. 